Fruit-sizer.



A. R. STEVENS. FRUIT SIZR. APPLIGATIOR PIILBD Amgen 191s.

Patented May 5, 1914n s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

FRUIT SIZER, APPMUATION FILED 116.29, 191s.

Patened May-5, 19M.

h3 SHBBTS-SHEET 2 A. R. STEVENS.

FRUIT SIZER. APELIGATION FILED Amma, 191s.

atented May 5, 1914.

fifi/'emana AUGUSTUS RENTZ STEVENS, 0F TAMA, FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO Ji. S. LONG.

FRUIT-SIZER.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1914.

Application tiled August 29, 1913. Serial No. 787,299.

To Zt 'zr/mm it m 13/ concern:

e it known that I, AUGUSTUS R. STE- vnxs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ot Tampa, in the county of Hillsboro and State of Florida, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit- Sixers, ot' which the following is a specilication.

My invention'relates to improvements in fruit sizers, and it consist-s in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide ay device by means of which fruit. may be graded into sizes according` to the largest diameter of the fruit.

A further object of my invent-ion is to provide a fruit sizer having means for adjusting the parts of the sizer so as to vary the sizers 'o the fruit deposited at any `one point. f

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features o't the device will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the' accompanying drawings forming part of this application in which similar reference characters indicate like parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view ot the device, Fig. Q is a side view thereof, Fig. 8 is a Section alongr the line 3MB of Fig. 1, Fig. f1 is an end view of the device showing a modiied form of roller, Fig. 5 is a section along the line 5 5 of Fig. 1, Fig. 6 is a sect-ion through one end of the device, Fig. 7 is a perspective view ot one of the track rails, and Fig. S is a plan view of a portion of the track on an enlarged scale.

i In carrying out my invention I make use of a trame consisting of the uprights 1 the upper and lower cross members 2, and the longitudinal members 3.

On the lower cross member-v2 are secured longitudinal supports 4: for track rails 5. The latter are preferably composed of pieces of hard wood which are beveled at their upper edges. As will be seen from Fig. 3

the upper cross member 2 bears longitudinal side members (S, against which the track rests 7 abut. The members o and 7 are held in place by means of a slotted bracket ter is recessed and is provided with a spiral y spring 15 which is arranged to bear on a nut 16 carried by each or' the bolts 1-1. A platt` or washer 17 is secured to the outer side ot' the member 6. vThis construction ,permits the adjustment of the track rail sections 12 toward or away from each other, since by turning on the nut 1G the rail may be drawn outwardly, while when turning the nut in the opposite direction the spring 15 which also holds the nut. against the plate 17 will thereby force the rails'toward each other.

The track' sections are preferably about 2l longbut may be of greater or less length if desiraole. rl`he track sections are placed parallel with each other but each successive section is offset slightly, preferably an eighth of an inch. The ends ot each of the track sections are beveled as shown at 12X, those of one section being beveled on-the inside and ot' the adjacent section being beveled ou the outside -toprevent the rolls from jumping the track. ln view of the tact that the successive sections are each offset so as to be farther away from the central axis ofthe machine,I the effect is to provide a device having a trick whose rails are closer together at one end than at the other. The divergence oit' these rails is shown in Fig. 1. g

At intervals I make use `of Z-shaped suspending members 1S which bear angle irons 19, the latter serving as guides forendless chains 20. To every other link of the chains 20 is secured a cross rod 21. VThese cross rods each bear a rotatable ball-shaped roller 2Q, provided with a groove xarranged to run on the track 11 and outside rollers having grooves 23x arranged to run on the track rails 1Q. Fach of the rollers i3 is provided withan inner hemispherical surface. The outer rollers are provided with suitable bearing membersx such as those shown at 23)'. l"

Disposed transversely ofthe longitudinal :tra me members 3 at the ends of the machine are the shafts 24 which are mounted on bearwings 25 carried by ,ftlie members 3. @ne of l 27 arranged to redeivetlie che-ins 20.

the shafts beers e;drive pulley 26. These shafts lare provided'rvith sprocket Wheels 'cured to the uprigbts lere guide members 28(see Fig. 3) errenlred to receive end tween the outer rollers 23 and the central' rollers 22 is less at one endof the machine end. isv progressively greater toward the other end. The fruit enters the device et Athe outer rollers end 'the inner rollers the end et which the rollers ere nearer tokv gether. Power is applied to the pulley 26 and the endless carrier for-ined by the chains, the cross shafts 2l., und the rollers, bears the fruit along. The rollers being in contact with the tracks rotate sind. this tends to turn the fruit so es to roliste it about its .largest diameter. When the outer rollers reach the ends of the sections, the two outer rollers which are loose on their shui's more outn Wardly, thus increasing' the distance between 252.

Asi-'Soon es the fruit arrives et e point Where the rollers will not support it .'tuiftlier, it

' drops down upon the canvas or fabric sheet ist 30 and rolls into the proper bin. lt is obvious that the smaller fruit will drop lirst.

Since the sections oi truck are parallel, it follows that no more then one size of fruit Will fell through the spiace represented by each adjustable section olitrack, as would be the cose if the sections were not errengcd in parallel relation. This insures the delivery o fruit of e s'iven size et e given point.

l desire to call attention to the feet that it is of advantage to lieve the smaller lruit rop first b'euse it hns been found that in other ruiteisers Where the large fruit is forced out lirst it will sometimes teilte with. it some of the smell fruit. l'n this device this is impossible since there is no crowding of the :tr-uit.

The provision of the ineens vof spreading the treclrs allows also oli' rising* device with large es Well with. smell fruit, end time the machine serves e double purpose.

. I clairs:

- Il. In e fruit sizing device, e'trsrne, s ries oft control supportingmernbors die osed longitndinslly el? thsi v E progrtingijA members ses, series. on noch side o si, l Loses/ii.

between the side series oli/supporting inemloers and the central series being progressively greeter from one end of the machine to the other, end ineens for moving seid series oisunporting members from one end of the machine toward the other.

2. ln zi fruit sizing device, 'a freine, e, series ol control supporting members disposed longitudinally ol;r .lie freine, e, series of supporting members spaced from seid central Vseries on each side of the letter, the distance between the side series oi supporting menobers and the central series being progressively grceter from one end of the machine to the other, Ineens for nibring seid series of supporting members 'from one end of the machine toward the other, and ineens for rotating each member of ell of said series of supporting' members during suoli movement.

3. ln s fruit sizing device, e mein freine,

o series of rollers carried by seid mein 'frame :1nd movable longitudinelly thereof, a. series of rollers on each side ot said central series, seid lest named rollersv being movable longitulinzilly olf' the tronic, the line olE trirvel oi seid bist named series of rollersI being substantially oblique 'to the tiret named series.

A l. ln :i fruit sizing device, n moin frame, e series of rollers carried by seid mein frame and movable longitudinally thereof, s. serios oi? rollers on each side of seid central series, smid last named rollers being movable longitudinally of the traine, the line of travel ci seid last named series of rollers being substantially oblique to the first named series, and the line of travel of one series of seid side rollers being oblique to the line of trorel oit' the other series of seid sido rollers.

ln e -fruit sizing,Y device, :i` frame, s. peil.' et sln'oclret chains carried thereby. trans rods ce ried by seid sprocket chains, e control roller und side rollers ceri-led by eecli rod, means for moving scid chains, the distence between seid side rollers and seid cen trol roller et one end of the machine being' greater than ot the other; e straight central truclr roll disposed below seid central roller :ind arranged to be engaged thereby, end straight control track ,rails disposed below the side rollers for supporting tbe letter, each of seid treclf; rolls serving to conse the rotstion of the rollers during the pssseige tlierenlono' zing device, e treme, e peir et spree et chains cerried thereby, trousverse rode cerried by seid sprocket choisis, e control. roller end side rollers by eecli rod, ineens moving; seid obstine, the distance between seid side rollers sind seid control roller et one end, oi? the machine beingl than et vthe other, e straight cen trel time: 'rail disposed below said central" x roller end to` be engaged thereby.

ini

izo

ist

Mln

straight central track rails disposed below the side rollers for support-ing the latter,

central roller and side rollers carried by each rod, means for moving saidchains, the distance between said side rollers and said .central roller at one end of the machine being greater than at the other, a straight central `track railV disposed below -said central roller and arranged to be engaged thereby,straight central track railsv disposed belolw the side and a resilient receiver disposed beneath'4 rollers for supporting the latter, each of said track-rails serving to cause the rotation of therollers during the passage therealong,

said rollers, said resilient receiver -bein inclined downwardly from the center o .the

, machine toward the outside thereof.

8. In a fruit sizing de vice, a fra1ne,.a pair of sprocket chains carried thereby, transverse rods carried by said sprocket chains, a central roller and side rollers carried by each rod,ineans for moving said chains, the distance between said side rollers and said central roller at one end of the machine being greater than at the other, a straight central track rail disposed below said centralV roller and arranged to be'engaged thereby, straight central track railsdisposed below the side rollers for supporting the latter, each of said track rails serving to cause the rotation of the rollers during the passage tlierealong, a resilient receiver disposed be-v neath said rollers, said resilient receiver being inclined downwardly from the center of the machine toward the outside thereof, and ine-ans for adjusting the angular relation of the outside track rails to that of the center track rail. i

9. In a fruit sizing device, a frame, a central track rail mounted thereon, side track rails spaced from said centraltrack rail, said side rails being inclined with reo spect to said central track rail from one end of the machine to the other, an`v endless carrier comprising aseries of cross rods, a centr'al roller and side rollers carried by each `cross rod, said central roller being arranged to 'engage said central rail and said side rollers being arranged to engage their individual side track rails, means for driving said endless carrier, andmeans for varying the angular relation of the side track rails with that of the center trackrail.

l0. In a fruit sizing device, a frame, a central track rail mounted thereon,v side track rails spaced from said central track rail, said `side rails being inclined with respect to said central track rail from one end of the machine tothe other, an endlesscarrier comprising a series of cross rods, acentral roller and side rollers ,carried by each cross rod, saidjcentral roller beingarranged to engage said central rail and said side rollers being arranged to engage their individual side track rails, means for driving said endless carrier, means for Varying the angularrelation of the side vtrack rails with that of the center track rail,`said last named meanseomprising screw bolts arranged to pass through the side of the machine and secured to the base of saidside track rails, and nuts .for drawingiip said screw bolts.

11; In a fruit eiser, a frame, 'a pair of endless chains carried by said frame, transT verse rods carried by said endless chains, a seriesof rollers carried by said rods, a central'rail for supportingand guiding said rollers, side rails parallel withaid central rail, said side rails being composedl of a plurality otsections, each' successive section being offset from the ad]acentvscction, and

rollers carried ,by said rods and slidable thei'ealong, said last named rollers beingarranged' to run upon and be guided by the rails which. aremade up of sections.

12. In a fruit sizing device, a frame, a pair of sprocket chains carried thereby, transverse rods carried by said sprocket chains, a central roller carried by each of said rods, an end roller carried by each of i I said rods on each side of said central roller, said end 'rollers being movable longitudinally of the rod, a central track for supporting and guiding said central roller, tracks for supporting and guiding said end-rollers, each of said latter tracks being'composed of a series o sections parallel with said central track rail, leach section being offset from the adjacentv section, and the ends ot each section being beveled tov prevent the roller from jumping the track. f

" AUGUSTUS RENTZ STEVENS.,

J. S. Iorio,

MAME. GALVIN. 

